John Raoux / AP
Former President Bill Clinton greets supporters after speaking at a campaign event, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012, in Orlando, Fla., as he campaigns for President Barack Obama.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is qualified to run for President, said former President Bill Clinton on Sunday's Face the Nation, but he’s not sure if she will.
“I’ve never met anybody who I thought was better at this,” he said, calling her the best civil servant he knows. “She’s an extraordinarily able person.”
Hillary Clinton, who will retire at the end of the current term, plans to take some time off and may write a book, the former President said. Ultimately, however, he has “no earthly idea what she’ll decide to do,” he added, grinning.
Former President Clinton, speaking to Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer from the Clinton Global Initiative Summit in New York, also spoke out against what he said were Republican attempts to prevent traditionally Democratic constituencies like minorities, students and young people from voting.
The president is winning in key swing states, said Clinton, but it is still impossible to know the outcome of the election "because of the enormous financial advantage that Citizens United gave to these Republican super PACs and because of the work they have done and will do on Election Day to try to reduce the number of young people, first generation immigrants, and minorities voting."
The Former President has been particularly vocal about voter suppression laws in Florida, likening the Republican crackdown on voting to the Jim Crow laws.
Clinton also defended Barack Obama's economic record, noting that full employment could not have occurred within four years of the financial crisis. “I don’t know a single serious economist who believes as much damage as we had could have been healed in four years,” he said. “We lost jobs for the first year [of President Obama's term] while his programs were kicking in. Since then, his jobs record is actually better than in the previous eight years under the Bush administration.”
An essential part of America's eventual recovery from the “debt hole," Clinton said, would have to be raising revenue through taxes.
“If they cut 5 trillion in taxes, we’ll never get of this debt hole,” he said. Referencing Mitt Romney’s tax return release this week, he added, “I don’t think we can get out of this hole if people at that income level are only paying 13-14 percent.”
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Well President Clinton is the man who would know better than anyone else if this crisis could have been healed in 4 years and beyond that he also knows if tax cuts would be the way out! But as he says people making that much money paying only 13% or 14% in taxes will not help the crisis! Let's face it he's including himself in that group and he has no reason to lie!! If he could have run again he would have been elected for as many terms as he wanted!
clinton will not run. i think she's done. the party dosen't run retrads. when you lose it's over. just my thoughts.
Sure they do, especially those who just loose in the primaries.. Clinton only lost in a past primary.. Really there is little to stop people at that stage except to get a support group, and personally announce they are throwing their hat in the ring.
Last time, she ran she really had not pulled herself out from being resented by many as a first lady who stuck her nose into white house affairs, also they felt that Bill Clinton reputation was still in tatters.
Her husband has gone from poor reputation to almost hero worship over the last 4 years for both parties, and Hillary has gotten a very good reputation nation wide for her efforts as the Secretary of State for foreign affairs.
I think she is in a much better position next time around.
Coming from The Secretary of the Department that Explains Things he is spot on. One doesn't have to be entangled in the political process to understand his logic, intelligence and common sense. It doesn't matter where your leanings are...everyone listens to Bill Clinton. As for Hillary we would draft her if necessary.
President Clinton is one of the smartest teachers on the planet. When he explains a situation, no matter what the political yammering is at the moment, people stop and say, "Now I understand what's going on!"
Can you imagine the fun we would have with Bill Clinton as the First Gentleman? And he could continue the amazing success of his Global Initiative.
President Clinton is the best political expert to define the problem and the espouse the policy fix, and clearly outline the good and bad of implementing the proposed change.
My vote is for Hillary Clinton.....2016... if we started voting( NOW) maybe we can get our votes counted by then.. As a senior citizen, I do not believe that a lot of our votes are counted...Seniors are not all senile or ignorant of the political process...and should not be thrown to the side, after they reach 65 years old..I can not believe that the FL. senior population is as ignorant as the polls are showing them to be.....If there is one thing seniors know it is which side their bread is buttered on...Romney is a sh_t spread..and seniors know it....The only bread Romney is going to butter is his own.